"Palais de Steff" has arrived and is a work in progress.
So come on in...grab a cocktail... or the nearest available houseboy and make yourself at home...feel free to wander about or just plonk yourself down and stay a while...
Princess says "Hello and Welcome"!...

Friday, November 25, 2011

final dress rehearsal is on the 7th December... Not all that far away!

I ordered some Fur fabric for "Cheshire Cat" costumes 5 weeks ago.

I had seen this fabric on an earlier visit to the store... but between reporting this news to the design team and returning to the store the next day with the OK to purchase some... the fabric it had sold out! I know! Who buys hot pink and purple tiger print fake fur?.... Oh.... Silly question.... Everyone's making "Cheshire Cat" Suits this season....

The woman that served me offered to order in some more and told me that it would take 3 weeks to arrive in store and they would notify me on it's arrival.

When I hadn't heard from them three weeks ago I contacted the store to discover that the silly cow that served me at the store failed to find a barcode for the product so when I checked back with them... they... and to my Horror... I... discovered that the fabric had not been ordered.

They re-ordered the fabric that day telling me that it would be another 3 weeks for it to be delivered to the store again... "Shit" I thought... "I'm going to be pressed for time"....

Two days later I got a phone call to say that the fabric had arrived in store and that I could call by for my purchase... "Great" I thought... "That was good service"...

So off I went to make my purchase.

Again... to my horror the fabric that had arrived was yes, hot pink and purple tiger print but splashed with orange yellow and green as well... Nothing like the fabric I had seen.

When I said that it was the wrong fabric the same silly cow that had originally served me looked at me and said...

"Well obviously not darling" I replied... "But I can" said Princess and wandered of to find the Manager.

Fortunately Princess is on very good terms with management at this store and so gave them some feedback regarding issues of staff competence and customer service.

Apologies were made and the manager assured me that she would track down the fabric herself...

2 hours after our discussion I received phone call from the Manager to say she had located the exact fabric at another store and that she could have it sent over... But again it would take another three weeks.

I informed her that it would be quicker for me to drive to the stores location and purchase it directly myself.

She then informed me that the stores had a phone order policy and that I could place the order over the phone and they would post it out to me within the week!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Princess is finally reaching the home strait with her costuming for "Alice in Wonderland"...

the "Mad Hatter" and the "March Hare"

are finally completed...

Collar Detail...

It's amazing what one can do with some old curtains and a Jet brooch...

Cuff Detail..

The real Peacock Feathers were glued to leaf shaped pieces of velveteen and hand stitched to the cuff...

The March Hare now has a vest and pants to go with his Jacket...

And a big old bow around his neck!

Now there are just x3 Cheshire cat suits and a costume for a Caterpillar that transforms into a Butterfly.... (Stay tuned for that one I think you might just be impressed... I have the concept... and the fabrics... think Sequins and Rainbow colours darlings. I just have to work my magic and bring it to life...)

The caterpillar will be on a huge, purpose built, red fabric padded mushroom(2.5 metres across) at centre stage and will be lit internally. The caterpillar needs to transform into a butterfly while on the mushroom, in full view of the audience...

It's going to be one hell of a challenge!

Oh... and I still have to make 13 fish/ sea-creature hats/headpieces for the caucus race and the pool of tears...

Wish me luck darlings or I might just end up in my own pool of tears....